St James CofE Aided Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
216
AGES
2 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Voluntary aided school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
0300 200 1004

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(13/12/2018)
Full Report - All Reports
60%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
Thursley Road
Elstead
Godalming
GU8 6DH
01252703248

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since joining the school in 2016 you have successfully developed strong partnerships with all members of the school community. This has ensured that the shared vision you have developed together is meaningful and unifying. Together you have been successful in developing a welcoming, caring school with high and improving standards. You have developed leadership across the school effectively. This has helped to ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have their needs met. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend well. They value their education and the supportive relationships they build with adults and their peers. Pupils explained how they are helped to make progress, telling me: ‘Teachers spend time with everyone making sure the work is just right.’ Pupils behave well. They were clear that bullying happens very rarely, but that if it does occur it is swiftly resolved if they tell an adult. Pupils enjoy engaging with the interesting tasks their teachers set them. They work well together, enthusiastically sharing ideas and methods. They value the ethos of the school, which celebrates effort and inclusion. For example, you made sure that everyone who wanted a speaking part in the school play had one. During the inspection the focus on equality of opportunity was evident throughout the school. Pupils with SEND are supported in an individualised and thoughtful way, which ensures that they get what they need to make progress and grow in confidence. Parents value the ‘family feel’ of the school and the way in which their children’s well-being is of central importance. A parent writing on the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, encapsulated the views of many in saying: ‘My child loves being at St James. He is well cared for and inspired to learn.’ Governance is highly effective. Governors know the school well. They use a wide range of information to support and challenge leaders. They visit regularly to ensure that all is as it should be, but rightly retain a strategic overview. You value highly the open and professional relationships that underpin this effective work and help you to drive the school forward. You have maintained the strengths identified at the previous inspection. Children make good progress in the early years. The learning environment contains wellplanned activities, both inside the classroom and outside, which fascinate children and invite exploration. Highly skilled teaching makes learning both fun and challenging. You have addressed the areas for improvement in the previous report. The English and mathematics leaders are passionate about developing their subjects. They have benefited from effective support from the diocese, as well as from local authority training. Pupils are provided with regular opportunities to extend their skills through practical experiences. Opportunities for real-life problem solving in mathematics are extensive. They range from regular cooking in the well-equipped children’s kitchen to making and using number lines with sticks on the common. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Processes and systems for recruitment are clear and follow appropriate guidelines and documentation. Record-keeping is meticulous. Child protection is at the heart of the school. Staff are well trained and know what to look out for to ensure that pupils are kept safe. The staff receive up-to-date information and reminders through the weekly bulletin. Any concerns are reported, recorded and acted on in a timely and professional fashion. Work with other agencies is effective and demonstrates appropriate tenacity when it is needed. Pupils feel safe at the school. They trust in the adults to act to keep them safe. They have a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe, including when online, telling me about the need to ‘think before you click’. Inspection findings During the inspection we looked closely together at the teaching of mathematics across the school. Leaders’ work to develop teaching through the use of questioning has been effective. For example, during a Year 5 session on exploring cubed numbers, pupils were able to respond to the teacher’s questions with clear explanations, and their thinking was well developed. As a result, pupils are making good progress from their starting points. Pupils are confident mathematicians. They explain their working and can go back to self-correct when they spot a calculation error. They have well-developed number skills which they enjoy applying to regular problem-solving activities. These activities are beginning to be developed into the wider curriculum, most notably for older pupils in science. We also looked together at pupils’ progress in writing. Teaching provides pupils with a range of opportunities to write across different genres. High expectations of grammar, punctuation and spelling are supported by well-focused feedback, in line with the school’s policy. Pupils’ work demonstrates rich well-chosen vocabulary, the development of which is supported effectively by the regular use of well-matched and engaging texts. Nevertheless, sometimes teaching is not adapted well enough to meet the needs of the most able pupils. When this happens progress for this group slows. We looked together at the provision for pupils with SEND. Leadership for pupils with SEND is effective. Learning for this group of pupils is carefully planned and incorporates the views of parents, teachers and other professionals from within the school and beyond. The special educational needs coordinator ensures that these pupils receive the right support so that they can make good progress from their starting points. Pupils with SEND are well supported and make good progress in writing. Support timetables have been thoughtfully adapted to ensure that pupils benefit from high-quality classroom input. Adults and resources are used well, providing support where needed, but also fostering pupils’ independence and growing confidence. We also looked at the provision for pupils across the wider curriculum. Subject leaders are enthusiastic and have high aspirations for their subjects. There are examples of engaging activities across the school. Some work has started to refine planning in subjects such as science. However, the planning and teaching of subjects other than English and mathematics is not yet methodically structured. Sequences of learning do not build on pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding as effectively as is seen in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils do not make as much progress in these aspects of the curriculum. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: teaching is consistently well matched to the needs of the most able pupils, particularly in writing. sequences of learning are further developed across the wider curriculum so that pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding are systematically built upon in subjects other than English and mathematics.

St James CofE Aided Primary School Parent Reviews



Average Parent Rating

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“Amazing school”

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"> My 4 children have been to (or are at) this fantastic school. Staff go the extra mile to make sure children do their best and have fun along the way. The setting is great, by extensive common land which the children get to use regularly to learn in a practical way. I love the emphasis on growing fruit & veg, cooking and healthy living. Children really do develop independence and self-belief alongside their respect for others and lasting friendships. This school sets children up to fly.
unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>77, "agree"=>19, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>75, "agree"=>22, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>57, "agree"=>36, "disagree"=>7, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>75, "agree"=>19, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>1} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>63, "agree"=>32, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>1} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>50, "agree"=>39, "disagree"=>7, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>1} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>52, "agree"=>35, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>52, "agree"=>22, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>7, "dont_know"=>13} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>58, "agree"=>28, "disagree"=>7, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>5} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>60, "agree"=>21, "disagree"=>12, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>55, "agree"=>30, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>1, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018
Yes No {"yes"=>92, "no"=>8} UNLOCK Figures based on 105 responses up to 15-12-2018

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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